The Spirit Maiden's Love
by ShiNoPerusona
Summary: Oneshot w/ multiple endings. Zelda's love for Link has remained ever since they were children. Even after being separated, her love for him only grew stronger, and she longed to tell him even more. Now, she finally summoned up the courage to tell Link her true feelings. But what will happen when Link doesn't even know what his feelings are? [Link x Zelda] Spoilers to the game.
1. The Crystal Shatters

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was reading some Legend of Zelda fanfiction recently and was inspired to write this! It's just a simple but sweet one-shot of Zelda and Link when Zelda breaks free of her crystal _prison _and finally has a chance to speak to Link. In the game, she just says the "good morning" line after fading to white and there's no further dialogue. I thought that would be a good place to include some more dialogue that could give more insight on their personal relationship with each other. **

**This is the first fanfiction I've posted in the Legend of Zelda section, so I apologize if it's not high enough quality of what you may be used to! I'm still not terribly experienced with writing, so it could suck. I don't know, you have to tell me that.**

**This fanfiction has three separate endings now, so make sure to check them out! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda doesn't belong to me; if it did, Link would NOT be Link. Like, at all. That's why Nintendo's in charge of him. Oh, and I don't own Nintendo, either.**

**EDIT: Added another paragraph to provide more insight to Link's feelings. Also changed around a couple of lines.**

**EDIT 2: Looked over this chapter again and made a couple more edits, but haven't done that for the endings yet. And when you read over your own writing, sometimes you realize just how cheesy it can get. I swear I'm going to give myself a concussion with all of these facepalms.**

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><p>The sound of shattering crystal echoed inside the Sealed Temple.<p>

Link slowly stepped forward to welcome the Spirit Maiden, or rather, his cherished and beloved childhood friend; Zelda. She slowly took stepped down the small staircase in her elegant goddess dress and long, blond hair. Her sleepy blue eyes looked around and stopped when they saw Link, and she began to approach him. He ran in alarm as Zelda leaned forward and Link managed to catch her in time.

"Good morning… sleepyhead," Zelda teased, groggily. Link could only chuckle at this as if his friend wasn't trapped in a crystal for a thousand years.

"Good morning to you," Link responded. "Kind of funny how I was the one who came to wake you up." Zelda managed to get off of Link's arms and steady herself. With that, she put on her best (the most she could manage) annoyed face, although Link could easily tell she was happy to see him again.

"Of course! Didn't you remember the promise we made? About how you were going to wake me up?"

"Well, I'm surprised _you _remember. A thousand-year long nap doesn't help you remember things," He joked.

The old lady in the temple watched from far away, chuckling at their bantering. This was what the goddess was like when she was with her closest friend.

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><p>"<em>Hey Impa…" Zelda gently nudged her friend and addressed her by her name, even though she insisted on just being referred to as a Servant of the Goddess. Zelda didn't like names like that. They seemed condescending to her, and she didn't want to talk down to a person who had helped her so much.<em>

"_Hm? Is there something you need, My Grace?" Impa stopped walking. They were in the Lanayru Desert, approaching the fabled Gate of Time._

"_Back in the Eldin Spring…" She winced, reminiscing something unpleasant. "Remember what you said to Link?"_

"_The supposed 'chosen one,' you mean? Yes, I remember vividly." She nodded to herself and sighed. "'It took you far too long to get here. Looking at you, I fear the goddess is mistaken in her choice of agents. If this failure is any indication, you have no hope of defending Her Grace from those who seek to assail her.' Impa's face remained impassive. 'Do my words anger you, boy? Do my words sting? Let them. If I had not come when I did, your Zelda would have already fallen into the hands of the enemy.'" She finished, remembering it perfectly._

_Zelda clenched her fist tightly until they became white. "But… but, why, Impa? Why did you have to be so harsh?" Zelda said, tears threatening to fall. "He was just trying to help! He must have wanted to see me again after so long, and you just chased him away and discouraged him!" She lashed out. Impa cringed at the veracity of her words. She was right, but it was a necessary evil, wasn't it?_

"…"

"_I suppose you thought of it as a way to _en_courage him, huh?" Zelda offered, calming down. Impa reluctantly looked at Zelda's face and nodded slightly. "Maybe that was just the thing he needed to get back up on his feet; try even harder to reach me." She shook her head and looked at her feet. "I…I'm sorry, Impa. When I learned about what you said to Link, I got angry. I thought that he didn't deserve to be put down like that, let alone have his friend taken away from him even longer."_

"…" _Impa remained silent. She didn't know what it was like to have that happen to her. As a being whose sole purpose is to aid the Goddess in times of need, the idea of a friend seemed mad to her. Wouldn't having friends stir your emotions and cause you to make irrational decisions?_

"_And…It hurt me, too. Even though those words may have been directed to Link, I couldn't help but cry after hearing them. Even after I was teleported, I could hear what you said to him. You knew that, didn't you?" Zelda looked up to Impa's face with sorrowful eyes, and Impa's expression softened at them._

"_Yes… At the time, I believed it to be a valuable lesson for the both of you, but… it appears I was mistaken. Will you ever forgive me, Your Grace?" Impa went down on her knee and looked down to show she was serious._

_Despite the situation, Zelda couldn't help but giggle. Impa looked up to the now-mortal Goddess confusedly. "Of course, Impa. I can't stay mad at you forever knowing your good intentions. And you don't have to keep calling me 'Your Grace.' I already told you didn't like that!"_

"_But-" Zelda shook her head disapprovingly, to which Impa chuckled. "My apologies, _Zelda_."_

_The blond-haired girl nodded her head and smiled. "Much better. Now we can talk like equals!"_

"_I… Yes, I suppose." Impa began, but furiously smothered the thought before she could voice it. She figured there was no reason to insist by this point._

"_And just wondering…" Zelda looked away shyly, her hair whipping around with her head. _

"_Hm?"_

"_Do you… know why I got upset when you said those things to Link?"_

_Impa paused, and thought long about it. She knew that Zelda _got _mad at that, but she didn't know _why_ she got mad. She racked her brains for an answer, but came up empty and shook her head._

_Zelda sighed heavily, as if she were about to get a huge burden off her shoulders. "It's… because I love him. I love Link, and I couldn't stand seeing him like that. Do… you understand what love is, Impa?"_

"…_Love, Your- Zelda? I'm afraid I don't completely understand its significance." Impa replied, sadly._

"_Well… It's sort of like when you know someone, and… you can't stop thinking about them." Zelda began. She knew it would be difficult to explain such a complicated and complex emotion. "You want to spend as much time as you can with them, because you enjoy your time with them very much." Impa nodded, allowing her to continue. "And… there are times when you want to be _more _than just friends. There is an empty hole in your heart, and you need them to fill it up. Otherwise, you might never feel… complete."_

"…" _Had Impa ever experienced love before? That feeling of companionship with someone, that sort of connection you feel you'll never have with anyone else. Zelda understood it and fell under its spell- fell for Link, it seemed, and from what Impa understood, it was just a powerful emotion. And it was nothing more than something that served to distract individuals from more important tasks. "Well-" She began to say something, but caught herself. Was it that simple? Or was there more to it?_

"_That kind of feeling I have with Link… will never disappear. No matter if he shares my feeling for him, I just want him to know…" Impa's eyes widened slightly. So 'true' love is something that can only be achieved when the feeling is mutual? A small chuckle coming from Zelda snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked like she was recalling a happier moment in her life. "You know, I was about to tell him, knowing that I had finally summoned up the courage to confess. But then a black twister separated myself and Link from each other… I don't think I could find that courage again." Impa frowned slightly at 'black twister.' She knew the one responsible for that, and to think that it would Zelda even more suffering than she initially thought..._

_She frowned. Impa still didn't completely understand the meaning behind this emotion, or why it was something to be desired so strongly by her. Regardless, she felt it was an obligation to encourage her, whatever the circumstances or case. "Nonsense. He may wield the Triforce of Courage, but you will definitely find it within yourself to tell him. If it was truly this important to you, wouldn't you be willing to do anything to accomplish what you've been longing for?"_

_Zelda's eyes widened and she nodded. With a new spark of determination in her eyes, the two took confident strides towards the Gate of Time…_

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><p>Impa, now in her old age, remembered the events that transpired that day at the Gate of Time. She found it amusing how, soon after they spoke, Link happened to save the day and stop Ghirahim. Zelda gave Link the sacred Goddess' harp, and he had been playing it in order to unlock the sacred trials, which he then would proceed to strengthen his blade. Without that gift, the two would surely have never seen each other again.<p>

Impa glanced over to the two intertwined in fate. Zelda had stepped closer to Link, and she could just barely make out a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"Link… Do you remember on the day of the Wing Ceremony, how I, um, invited you out to fly with me?" She smiled bashfully. Link's eyes widened slightly.

Their days spent together in Skyloft couldn't be spent without some stronger emotions being shared between the two, or at least by _one _of them. What was it about Link that made his childhood friend fall in love with him? Was it his dashing smile and face, or that respectable personality that complemented her own? Perhaps it could have been after seeing Link's many talents at just about everything, or Zelda's romance fantasies of two childhood friends making a promise to spend the rest of their lives together. It was probably one of those things, he was sure.

Regardless, Link knew what was coming. "Yes, I do..."

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><p><em>The moment Link's hand grasped the Bird Statuette, he raised it above his head and cheered. He endured painfully boring classes, painful swordplay sessions and the most painful of all, Groose's bullying. He was covered in eggs (he didn't know how Groose and his cronies managed to carry so many eggs, or how they were such good shots) but it was nothing a quick bath wouldn't fix.<em>

_His trusty Crimson Loftwing glided around Skyloft, where Link was met with the prospect that Zelda was suicidal and decided to jump off without calling her own Loftwing._

_Of course, she probably expected for Link to catch her, but he always wondered what her reaction would be if he pretended he didn't notice her plummeting to her doom. But Link, almost regrettably, caught his best friend safely and his Loftwing flew the two up to the top of the Goddess Statue. _

_There, Link and Zelda completed the Wing Ceremony, not before Zelda temporarily lost control of her inhibitions and nearly kissed Link. Instead, she decided to wait the few agonizing minutes (at least to her) and settled for shoving him off the Statue of the Goddess instead._

_Finally, now came the time where she would confess to her childhood friend all of the feelings that had built up over the years. It was unbearable not being able to tell him, and almost made her break down into tears when she thought of being rejected. All of her love, thrown down to the Surface, never to be seen again. _

_She couldn't bear to have that happen. She hoped he also secretly harboured feeling towards her too, and they would get their happy ending she wanted._

_The two glided awfully close to each other, where Link could clearly tell she was stressed and nervous. It only increased his suspicions of what would happen when she blushed every time their eyes met. She never had any trouble making eye contact with him before._

"…_Link. Hey Link!" Zelda shouted over the rushing wind._

"_What is it, Zelda?" He didn't even need to ask about it; he'd read too many romance novels to really wonder about it. The surprising part was that someone; let alone his best friend might fall in love with him._

"_Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together…" She paused as she tried to recompose herself from the blush quickly creeping onto her face. "…I'll always remember this."_

"_Me too, Zelda. I will, too." He gave her a smile that was a little too charming, and Zelda blushed even redder and had to look away._

"_You know… Link…" She began. "There's something that I've been meaning to tell you for the longest time…" She breathed deeply. "I..." Suddenly, a bright flash of light cut her off and she was swept away in a black twister, and disappeared into the sea of clouds below._

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><p>Zelda sighed sadly as she remembered Link's desperate voice calling out to her, and his devastated face. The sensation of falling through the cloud barrier terrified Zelda, and she knew Link wished he never took up her offer of flying around in the clouds, lest that happened to her.<p>

"I tried to tell you, but…" She chuckled slightly. "I guess it was bad timing, huh?"

Link didn't know what it was that drove him on in his quest to find Zelda. Was it a sense of duty to protect the goddess? Or did he simply just long to see his best friend again and return to a simple life with his head in the clouds? Could it truly have been… _love_? Something must have gotten him this far, but could it have been love?

"What I wanted to tell you was that… that…"

Love was a strange emotion. All of those days spent playing with Zelda in their childhood, all those moments they constantly got distracted from studying, or the laughable times when Zelda woke him up from sleep and saw his over-the-top reaction. He supposed she had to fall in love eventually, and it hurt him knowing that he would have to reject her, since he still wasn't entirely sure about _his _feelings towards _her. _Link certainly wouldn't deny that _she _was a wonderful girl; beautiful, smart, kind and a personality that also complemented his were definitely times where the idea of a romantic relationship crossed his mind, but it never really stuck; what he really dreamt of was being a revered adventurer and exploring the great unknown; he didn't care about the "knight-gets-princess" part. But now that he's had his fill of excitement, what now?

When Zelda looked over his shoulder, he could sense Impa, who seemed to give Zelda a nod of the head.

Zelda took one final deep breath before finally saying: "…that I **love you, Link**." She breathed slowly. Her face burned bright red.

Link winced. Had he really zoned out just as Zelda was about to confess her love? He certainly didn't mean to recoil, lest he give Zelda the wrong idea. Then again, would it really matter in the end?

"Ah… Well…" Link scratched the back of his head, desperately trying to force himself into a blush to make his reaction more genuine. He let out a big sigh. "Zelda… I…"

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES: What will Link say to Zelda? Find out in the ending(s)! <strong>


	2. Ending 1

"...don't feel the same way." He answered quietly. He felt like the biggest ass in the world.

And with that, Zelda's entire world fell apart. The person that she harbored feelings towards; probably the _only _person she would ever harbor those kinds of feelings towards had just rejected her. The love of her life had turned her down.

Link clenched his fists tightly, knowing full well how much he had just hurt Zelda. He meant the world to her, and for him to turn her down must have been devastating. But he couldn't lie to himself _or _her. Would he have faked it, lead Zelda on, only for her to learn that she had been deceived? That he never truly loved her in the same way?

...No. She'd have to forgive him at some point. She couldn't stay mad at him forever. They were best friends that stood by each other's side since childhood. They had thought if they were together, they could face any challenge of any magnitude; if they were together, they'd be unstoppable.

But now, they were separated. For a long time, if not forever. Zelda had decided to risk their friendship in the hopes of getting something more out of their relationship, and ended up with nothing but crushing disappointment. Zelda drooped down miserably and sobbed through her fingers.

"Z-Zelda! I'm sorry..." Link attempted to comfort her, only to be shoved to the side when she walked past him.

He simply stood there, feeling an overwhelming guilt on his mind. Were her feelings for him that intense? Link feared that she would completely abandon Link, never speak to him again and end up losing one of his most valued friends for good this time. He fell to his knees and punched the ground. Hard. His knuckles began to bleed, and his frustrated tears mixed with the blood.

He barely heard Impa and Groose desperately asking what was wrong, consoling her. From what he could tell, Zelda pushed them away and refused any comfort. Even then, she didn't mention Link. Funny, that.

Shortly afterwards, he heard a ruckus going on outside, vaguely hearing words along the lines of 'goddess' and 'resurrect the demon king' from a voice that could only belong to Ghirahim. The sound of his voice infuriated Link to no end, but now he couldn't even bring himself to help. He should have just lied to her. He just knew it.

He cried even harder, wondering if Zelda even wanted a "hero" like him anymore...

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES: Aw, poor Link. Probably never going to be friends with Zelda ever again... Check ending 2 for a hopefully less depressing ending!<strong>

**If you enjoyed, a review would be greatly appreciated, as well as any criticism or suggestions! If you _did _like this, don't expect me to write more of this anytime soon. I just did this to get my ideas down and to kill some time (during exams? You slacker).**

**Anyway, with all that said...**

**See you all for the next chapter!**

**...Wait, that doesn't apply here. Never mind.**


	3. Ending 2

"...love you, too." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could even understand what he just said. He didn't think he could really say them again.

Zelda's eyes widened in surprise and began to water. She tackled him to the ground and cried tears of joy, passionately kissing him in the lips. He smiled and returned the signs of affection with full vigor. She truly was happy, wasn't she?

The thought that he just lied to Zelda about loving her was still fresh on his mind, though. How would he break the news to her?

...Maybe he should have just told the truth. He tried not to think about it.

Exhausted from crying so much and from the complete and utter relief of telling Link, she fell asleep, purring like a kitten. Even though Link still only saw her as his best friend, he couldn't help but smile and plant a small kiss on her head and return her affection.

Getting up from the ground, he carried Zelda bridal-style out into the open. As expected, Groose couldn't believe that he was seeing Zelda again, and Impa simply smiled and nodded. The sudden ruckus aroused Zelda from her nap, and Link set her down to receive a bear hug courtesy of the pompadour-sporting teen.

And when a familiar flash of red and black diamonds flashed and blew everyone back, Link immediately got back up and readied his sword and shield. Ghirahim picked up Zelda's lip but still-conscious body.

"L-Link..."

Ghirahim gave that mocking smile and laugh of his. "Still alive, boy? Well, you'e not going to stop me from resurrecting my master. Move." He demanded.

Link's frown slowly curved into a grin, and his body shifted into a battle stance. "...No." He answered, his taunting smirk refusing to leave his face.

"Ugh, you've been causing _far _too much trouble for me, boy! Why won't you just sit down and _die _already?!" Ghirahim yelled at the top of his lungs, daggers materializing around him.

"Because..." Link's grin became cocky and proud. "Because I love Zelda." He stated confidently, surprising himself at how genuine he felt about it.

Ghirahim sneered. "Foolish boy. No wonder humans are so petty and weak. Their ridiculous feelings drive them to their doom." He stated, but even Link could see the hint of uneasiness on his pale face. "Hmph. So be it." He tossed Zelda's body to the side, where Groose caught her (luckily). "You wish for your own death, simply to save this girl? Then you shall receive the death you have longed for!" Ghirahim quickly snapped his fingers and summoned his dueling rapiers.

"It better be a good one," Link played along.

They charged.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES: Aww yeah! Ghirahim and Link fighting! I don't know about anyone else, but I personally adored those Ghirahim boss fights. It felt a lot cooler to be fighting sword against sword with the main antagonistvillain and make for a really cool sword fight. Of course, you still have Demise, and that was pretty darn cool, but I like the Ghirahim sword fights. Also, the music during them is really cool, too.**

**Anyway, I posted the happy ending to be after the depressing ending so you could feel better after the sadness of Ending 1 (unless you decided to read this first, in that case, damn). Any reviews are, of course, greatly appreciated, especially criticism (god(dess) knows I could use it). If you want to see more of this, then don't. I don't know if I'll write anymore of this. Like I mentioned in Ending 1, it was just to get ideas down and to kill time/procrastinate.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading all the way to the end! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Ending 3 (NEW!)

Zelda pressed a finger onto his lips before he could finish.

"No... It's okay, Link. I don't want to hear your answer." Zelda said, surprising Link.

"Huh?" The confused hero scratched the side of his head dumbly. "Are you sure-" A silent nod from Zelda cut him off.

"I... just wanted to tell you. Just... that I know our relationship won't become anything deeper than friendship..." Zelda looked down to her feet sadly.

"Zelda..."

His friend twirled around suddenly, smiling. "But I'm okay with that! The time I spent with you as your best friend were already the best years of my life!" She declared, paying no mind to how much she was blushing.

Link grinned. "Heh, but I could see how you would fall in love with an amazing guy like me," Link joked, imitating Groose before he matured. "You're not worthy of basking in _my _love."

"Oh, shut up!" Zelda playfully hit Link's arm, which he laughed at. "Since when did _you _become so arrogant, Link?"

"When this whole mess started happening and I realized how amazing I was for going through this." He replied.

"Hey! It's not like I had it any easier! And just because you don't love me back doesn't mean-" Zelda began, before Link moved close and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The shocked girl slowly lifted her hand and touched her own lips this time.

"Just because we're friends doesn't mean we're not entitled to that kind of thing, right?" Link whispered, wrapping his arms around and touching his forehead with Zelda's. "I don't love you in quite the same way, but I still care a lot about you."

"You have a really skewed sense of love, silly. Isn't kissing what lovers are supposed to do, not friends?"

The green-garbed knight in question simply shrugged. "You always knew me as a rebel," Link smirked. "And who says this kind of relationship is wrong?"

"Not me," Zelda giggled, before giving Link a friendly kiss on the lips.

The "couple" could sense people watching. Probably Impa and Groose. "Looks like they've been waiting for us." Link pointed out to Zelda. He broke the intimate position they were in and offered a hand. "Shall we?"

"Of course, my knight." Zelda teased, graciously accepting his hand and walking out of the room.

Groose was already shedding tears when they came, and Impa had a welcoming smile on her face. "Z-Zelda..." The pompadour-sporting classmate whimpered. "It really _is _you..." Link and Zelda exchanged confused and amused looks at seeing the former bully crying for her safety. Two burly hands soon latched onto Link's shoulders and began shaking him around. The number of "thank you"s and "I knew you could do it"s showed that Groose isn't the kind of person he used to be before their adventures.

Once he finally wiped away the last of his tears and stopped sniffling, he put on a mischievous grin and looked Link and Zelda in the eyes. "So? What's goin' on between you two? C'mon, give me the dirt!"

Link, stunned by his acceptance of losing Zelda to someone else, could only wear a sheepish grin. "Well, it's like..."

"We're just close friends!" Zelda cut in, and wrapped her own arm around Link's. "_Really _close friends," She added, giggling at how that sounded.

"You've still got a chance at Zelda, Groose." Link joked. Zelda pouted playfully.

"Naww..." Groose placed a hand on Link's shoulder (without the shaking this time). "I think she's better off with you, Link." He smiled.

"Thanks, Groose."

A flash of diamonds blew the group of teenagers away from each other, scattering and dazing them. Ghirahim appeared in the middle of the surprise attack and slung Zelda over her shoulder.

"L-Link..." She mumbled weakly. Ghirahim didn't say anything, instead glaring at and shooting Link a look that seemed to say: "Try to get her back. I _dare _you." In response, the hero unsheathed his sword and pulled out his shield, only to fall down on his knee after taking a few steps forward.

Groose and Impa tried to block Ghirahim, but they only received a kick and were flung to the side. Seeing her friends being hurt managed to snap Zelda out of her dazed state. "Don't try to stop me, boy. This girl will not fall out of my hands again." Ghirahim declared.

"No!" She called out. Turning to Link, she lifted her arm and pointed to Link, who lifted his head to see a rather energetic and feisty Zelda. "Hey Link! You better give this guy a grand walloping for what he's done!" She yelled, smacking Ghirahim a couple of times on his back for effect. "You'd better hurry up, otherwise I'm going to wake you up even earlier for an entire _month_!" Despite the severity of the situation, Link grinned at his friend's antics; he loved how friendly and silly she was acting, just like she used to be (though hell if he had to wake up early for a month). "Got it?!" She shouted as Ghirahim stepped into the Gate of Time, obviously struggling with the girl on his shoulder.

"You bet." Link nodded before Zelda disappeared into the gate. The normal Hylian pattern replaced the tunnel on the mysterious object. With renewed energy and vigor coursing through his body, he quickly stood up and charged recklessly into the Gate of Time, like he had always done for Zelda.

After all, isn't that what friends are for?

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES: The longest ending! This ending sort of breaks the trend of Link saying either-or, but I think it turned out pretty well! I dunno, maybe you can only see this ending in HERO MODE. Personally, I will never try a 6-heart, no potion (I can have a shield, bottle and two medals) Hero Mode run again. That was HARD.<strong>

**To be honest, the idea of a one-shot with so many different endings seems kind of silly to me. It becomes kind of difficult to call a story a one-shot when it has FOUR chapters. Anyway, this is my personal favorite of the endings here, how their relationship's become more intimate yet they still stay as the bestest of friends. Don't we all wish we had a friend like that?**

**Reviews are appreciated, as well as any constructive criticism! I'm still not entirely sure if I want to keep writing for this fandom, but after this I feel a _little _more inspired to.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


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